Bad Santa: harrowing mall encounters – in pictures

Taking your children to the mall to be photographed with Santa: it's a Christmas tradition. So we asked for your best pictures of bad Santas and miserable kids – and, well, some of your pictures were a sight to behold. Keep them coming, readers. Send submissions to
editors@guardian.co.uk

Joshua Ridenour writes that this his 2-year-old son Jack wanted nothing to do with this Chicago-based Santa. '"But as you can see, Santa had an iron grip on him, forcing him to stay put for the photo. Santa was kind of a jerk this year'

Allan from Seattle sends us this picture of 8-month-old Lucia at the Space Needle last year. She 'would have none of it,' he writes But in keeping with the space theme, at least, he got to get a snapshot of the 'coolest Santa' he'd ever seen

Two-year-old Doug Kuhlmann at the Famous-Barr department store in St. Louis in December 1948. 'I was the crabby kid in the middle,' writes Doug. 'My parents, who did not have a lot of money, were not happy that I ruined that Christmas photo'

On her first trip to meet Santa earlier this month, 14-month-old Annabelle Bea of Salt Lake City, Utah, was less than enthusiastic about the experience. St Nick doesn't appear to be having the time of his life, either